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Clean Up Crew #2
The Count of Carolina
Four months after returning from a mission in Bucharest, international assassin Nicole Porter is itching for a new assignment.
But since revealing her secret life to her husband, Dan, Nicole has been plagued by nightmares of her past. In a twist of fate, the assignment she is offered will take her right back to her childhood home in South Carolina, where her past was a nightmare.
All bets are off when Dan and Nicole’s daughter is kidnapped, and Nicole quickly realizes her assignment and the abduction of her daughter are related.
As Nicole and Dan arrive in Greenville, she soon realizes that at the heart of everything she’s dealing with is none other than Conrad Barker, a man she has been hunting for over twenty years.
But since revealing her secret life to her husband, Dan, Nicole has been plagued by nightmares of her past. In a twist of fate, the assignment she is offered will take her right back to her childhood home in South Carolina, where her past was a nightmare.
All bets are off when Dan and Nicole’s daughter is kidnapped, and Nicole quickly realizes her assignment and the abduction of her daughter are related.
As Nicole and Dan arrive in Greenville, she soon realizes that at the heart of everything she’s dealing with is none other than Conrad Barker, a man she has been hunting for over twenty years.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 4, 2018
46 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
S.J. Varengo
34 books42 followersScott James (S.J.) Varengo was born in 1960, in a city called New York. Two years later he formed a band called The Beatles [citation needed].
He returned to New York City to attend Fordham University (having been told it was a basketball powerhouse) before transferring to the State University of New York at Potsdam (having been told it was located in the tropics), from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in Art History.
Varengo loves to read (favorite authors include Craig A. Hart, Kurt Vonnegut, J.R.R. Tolkien and an up-and-comer named Ernie Heming-something-or-other), listen to music (when he writes, it's usually jazz - the rest of the time it's Tasmanian flute concertos), and walk along forested trails with his wife Kim and their dog Tanner. He lives in Baldwinsville, NY, a suburb of Syracuse, known for its picturesque setting and its friendly people. He has two adult children of whom he is obnoxiously proud.
His published works include a volume of short fiction, two fantasy novels, and an ever-growing list of spy/espionage novellas, which he co-writes with Craig A. Hart.
He returned to New York City to attend Fordham University (having been told it was a basketball powerhouse) before transferring to the State University of New York at Potsdam (having been told it was located in the tropics), from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in Art History.
Varengo loves to read (favorite authors include Craig A. Hart, Kurt Vonnegut, J.R.R. Tolkien and an up-and-comer named Ernie Heming-something-or-other), listen to music (when he writes, it's usually jazz - the rest of the time it's Tasmanian flute concertos), and walk along forested trails with his wife Kim and their dog Tanner. He lives in Baldwinsville, NY, a suburb of Syracuse, known for its picturesque setting and its friendly people. He has two adult children of whom he is obnoxiously proud.
His published works include a volume of short fiction, two fantasy novels, and an ever-growing list of spy/espionage novellas, which he co-writes with Craig A. Hart.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 12, 2018
‘Nicole was, in fact, an international assassin.’
New York author S.J. Varengo attended Fordham University and State University of New York earning a bachelor's degree in Art History. He has written a volume of short fiction WELCOME HOME, the Cerah of Quadar series of which A DARK CLOCK is volume 1, and THE BEAUTY OF BUCHAREST the initial novel of The Clean Up Crew Thrillers. Now he offers THE COUNT OF CAROLINA as the second installment in this new series. He has also co-written several installments of the SpyCo espionage thriller series with Craig A. Hart.
Varengo has demonstrated his expertise in his works with Craig A. Hart – one of today’s master thriller writers – and he uses his skills well in penning this own terrifying thriller mystery in this solid book. One of the many aspects that make this book significant is his use painting an atmosphere on which to place his well-drawn characters – a fine mixture of drama and strange personality changes that heighten the suspense of this particular story.
Varengo establishes his lead characters on the first page of his story – ‘“Dan and Nicole Porter were two weeks shy of their twenty-first wedding anniversary. As he looked over at her now in their huge, comfortable bed on a lovely Colorado springtime early morning, he smiled. It had been four months since Dan had learned that his beautiful wife, ten years his junior, had kept a huge part of her life secret from him. Nicole, Dan had thought, was an executive in a company called Cleanup Crew. He’d been told for twenty years that the company was a forensic cleaning service, going into crime scenes and messy suicides after the police finished their work and removing all trace of the crime. Blood and gore, yes, but it was a necessary service, and Dan had thought Nicole, having risen through the ranks to management at a very rapid pace, was insulated from the worst of it. Front office, not front lines, he had told himself many times over the years. But Cleanup Crew, while maintaining offices all over the world that did actually provide the forensic cleaning service, also had a separate arm, which provided a different kind of cleaning. For they also used that term with regard to disinfecting the world of human filth that they did via assassination. The company accepted assignments from a wide variety of sources. Some were official. (Or semi-official, Dan thought, remembering that many governments often reached out for help with situations that could not be formally connected to the authorities.) Some, however, fell outside the scope of governments and monarchies, and dealt with very personal, very heinous situations, such as the one that put Nicole’s hidden world onto Dan’s radar.’
The synopsis distills the mystery well – ‘Four months after returning from a mission in Bucharest, international assassin Nicole Porter is itching for a new assignment. But since revealing her secret life to her husband, Dan, Nicole has been plagued by nightmares of her past. In a twist of fate, the assignment she is offered will take her right back to her childhood home in South Carolina, where her past was a nightmare. All bets are off when Dan and Nicole’s daughter is kidnapped, and Nicole quickly realizes her assignment and the abduction of her daughter are related. As Nicole and Dan arrive in Greenville, she soon realizes that at the heart of everything she’s dealing with is none other than Conrad Barker, a man she has been hunting for over twenty years.
A strong new direction from a strong new author. This is another fast reading escape from the chaos of today’s messy world.
New York author S.J. Varengo attended Fordham University and State University of New York earning a bachelor's degree in Art History. He has written a volume of short fiction WELCOME HOME, the Cerah of Quadar series of which A DARK CLOCK is volume 1, and THE BEAUTY OF BUCHAREST the initial novel of The Clean Up Crew Thrillers. Now he offers THE COUNT OF CAROLINA as the second installment in this new series. He has also co-written several installments of the SpyCo espionage thriller series with Craig A. Hart.
Varengo has demonstrated his expertise in his works with Craig A. Hart – one of today’s master thriller writers – and he uses his skills well in penning this own terrifying thriller mystery in this solid book. One of the many aspects that make this book significant is his use painting an atmosphere on which to place his well-drawn characters – a fine mixture of drama and strange personality changes that heighten the suspense of this particular story.
Varengo establishes his lead characters on the first page of his story – ‘“Dan and Nicole Porter were two weeks shy of their twenty-first wedding anniversary. As he looked over at her now in their huge, comfortable bed on a lovely Colorado springtime early morning, he smiled. It had been four months since Dan had learned that his beautiful wife, ten years his junior, had kept a huge part of her life secret from him. Nicole, Dan had thought, was an executive in a company called Cleanup Crew. He’d been told for twenty years that the company was a forensic cleaning service, going into crime scenes and messy suicides after the police finished their work and removing all trace of the crime. Blood and gore, yes, but it was a necessary service, and Dan had thought Nicole, having risen through the ranks to management at a very rapid pace, was insulated from the worst of it. Front office, not front lines, he had told himself many times over the years. But Cleanup Crew, while maintaining offices all over the world that did actually provide the forensic cleaning service, also had a separate arm, which provided a different kind of cleaning. For they also used that term with regard to disinfecting the world of human filth that they did via assassination. The company accepted assignments from a wide variety of sources. Some were official. (Or semi-official, Dan thought, remembering that many governments often reached out for help with situations that could not be formally connected to the authorities.) Some, however, fell outside the scope of governments and monarchies, and dealt with very personal, very heinous situations, such as the one that put Nicole’s hidden world onto Dan’s radar.’
The synopsis distills the mystery well – ‘Four months after returning from a mission in Bucharest, international assassin Nicole Porter is itching for a new assignment. But since revealing her secret life to her husband, Dan, Nicole has been plagued by nightmares of her past. In a twist of fate, the assignment she is offered will take her right back to her childhood home in South Carolina, where her past was a nightmare. All bets are off when Dan and Nicole’s daughter is kidnapped, and Nicole quickly realizes her assignment and the abduction of her daughter are related. As Nicole and Dan arrive in Greenville, she soon realizes that at the heart of everything she’s dealing with is none other than Conrad Barker, a man she has been hunting for over twenty years.
A strong new direction from a strong new author. This is another fast reading escape from the chaos of today’s messy world.
September 17, 2018
Intriguing Thriller to Count On
SJ Varengo's The Count of Carolina (A Clean Up Crew Thriller Book 2) surprised me. Having read book 1 I thought I knew what to expect from these characters. But, this story is so much more!
We learn the full backstory, as terrible as it is, and begin to understand how our heroine got where she is today. Pretty amazing stuff.
Plenty of action, twists and even humor. Nice setup for a future book. Very satisfying read. Hard to put down.
SJ Varengo's The Count of Carolina (A Clean Up Crew Thriller Book 2) surprised me. Having read book 1 I thought I knew what to expect from these characters. But, this story is so much more!
We learn the full backstory, as terrible as it is, and begin to understand how our heroine got where she is today. Pretty amazing stuff.
Plenty of action, twists and even humor. Nice setup for a future book. Very satisfying read. Hard to put down.
September 8, 2018
Fire & ice
(I've written one review already but Amazon lost it, then removed it from Goodreads.) I enjoyed the second book in this series. It's a wild ride back to Nicole's very troubled childhood & a crazy mother/daughter bonding adventure. I love Dan's humor & his faithful love, even after finding the truth behind Nicole's history as an assassin. Once you start you'll find it hard to put this book down!
(I've written one review already but Amazon lost it, then removed it from Goodreads.) I enjoyed the second book in this series. It's a wild ride back to Nicole's very troubled childhood & a crazy mother/daughter bonding adventure. I love Dan's humor & his faithful love, even after finding the truth behind Nicole's history as an assassin. Once you start you'll find it hard to put this book down!
November 18, 2018
Omg what a ride, if you enjoyed the 1st in this series you're definitely going to enjoy this one. Tension, action, kicking ass of some serious bad guys. This book gives you an insight into the past & why one of the main characters does what she does. Works as a stand alone but your gonna want to read the 1st then re read this.
March 6, 2019
The Hartwell Mangler Lives On
I liked the “Count of Carolina” because it relates the early history of Nicole (June) Porter and how her career as a professional assassin for “Clean-Up Crew” began. It will be interesting to see how her husband and daughter are incorporated into future CUC adventures.
I liked the “Count of Carolina” because it relates the early history of Nicole (June) Porter and how her career as a professional assassin for “Clean-Up Crew” began. It will be interesting to see how her husband and daughter are incorporated into future CUC adventures.
July 15, 2022
Dan, Nicole
Dan and Nicole are in North Carolina to do a job for the Cleanup Crew and to rescue their daughter, JJ. Nicole has never told Dan of her experiences as a young girl near Greenville. But Nicole's experiences come back with a vengeance.
Characterization and plotting are excellent.
Dan and Nicole are in North Carolina to do a job for the Cleanup Crew and to rescue their daughter, JJ. Nicole has never told Dan of her experiences as a young girl near Greenville. But Nicole's experiences come back with a vengeance.
Characterization and plotting are excellent.
October 20, 2022
The Count of Carolina was my first read by this author and won't be my last. This dark & twisted plot had me hooked till the end. This is book 2 in the Cleanup Crew Thriller series, but I had no issues picking u on the story and diving in. Really great audio narration and overall this is a great read!
December 29, 2018
Interesting story as the Clean Up Crew becomes even more of a family business in this installment. Plenty of action in a story that by premise and storyline is a fairly light-hearted and entertaining read rather than a serious thriller. Even with this it keeps you involved all the way through!
March 5, 2020
Excellent five star!
A bloody piece of poise, what you say. It is well written and makes me wonder. Can there be a family who's members have the killer gene?
A bloody piece of poise, what you say. It is well written and makes me wonder. Can there be a family who's members have the killer gene?
February 9, 2021
Even better than the first
July 17, 2021
Good story, but the writing (and especially the dialogue) leaves much to be desired. Don't expect great literature and be prepared to suspend disbelief. Still, and interesting read.
September 7, 2021
Good book. EXTREMELY disturbing content though.
September 21, 2021
2018 kobo epub 9781717768810
2020 kobo listing 1230004360872
JJ gets involved - and in a rather more personal manner than her parents like when she meets her grandfather...
Entertaining
2020 kobo listing 1230004360872
JJ gets involved - and in a rather more personal manner than her parents like when she meets her grandfather...
Entertaining
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews